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Most-clicked story of the week:
We rounded up last month’s college leadership changes, from the University of Michigan selecting C. Cybele Raver as its new president to San Francisco State University preparing to say goodbye to longtime leader Lynn Mahoney.
Number of the week: 21
The number of staff and faculty that Stockton University, a public institution in New Jersey, plans to lay off as it grapples with a budget deficit exceeding $20 million. The move has sparked backlash from unions, which held a rally last week to protest the cuts.
International student policy in flux:
- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security proposed a new rule last week that would require colleges to pay $70,000 per international student seeking entry into the popular Optional Practical Training program, which allows participants to work in the U.S. for up to three years after graduation. Colleges would have to pay another $30,000 for each student seeking an extension.
- Several higher education groups sued DHS over recent guidance that narrows a program allowing international students to participate in hands-on training like internships. In their lawsuit last week, the groups urged a federal judge to strike down the guidance on the Curricular Practical Training program.
- Meanwhile, Harvard University and the Trump administration are duking it out in court over the Ivy League institution’s ability to enroll international students. A U.S. Department of Justice lawyer said in court last week that the Trump administration would likely reissue a proclamation barring international students from entering the U.S. to attend Harvard if the agency prevails in court, The Harvard Crimson reported.
Eastern Gateway Community College saga continues:
- Eastern Gateway Community College’s last president, along with two other former employees, were indicted last week on multiple felony charges in connection to an alleged $20 million scheme to divert federal financial aid away from students, The Columbus Dispatch reported.
- The Ohio community college closed down in late 2025, three years after the U.S. Department of Education accused it of illegally charging students with Pell Grants more than those without through a free college initiative. A state auditor later slammed the college for “derelict” accounting and financial mismanagement.
- The free college program was at the heart of last week’s indictment, which accused the trio of former employees of disbursing federal aid to students who were ineligible for it and then covering their tracks by falsifying records, according to the Columbus Dispatch. During a Thursday news conference, Ohio Auditor Keith Faber said that while it was a complicated financial scheme, "at its heart, it’s a very simple story about greed."
